Portable stove



Oct. 25, 1960 1 J. SMALL. ErAL 2,957,472

PORTABLE sTovE Filed Deo. 23, 1957 TTORNEY United States Patent C,

PORTABLE STOVE Leroy J. Small and William B. Mason, Memphis, Tenn., assignors to Memphis Metal Manufacturing Co., Inc., Memphis, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Filed Dec. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 704,384

1 Claim. (Cl. 126-59) The invention -relates to portable stoves such as are usable by campers, hikers, fishermen, hunters, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and others, for cooking, or for heating small enclosures such as tents and cabins.

The objects of the invention are to meet the needs of such persons with a compact, readily shipped stove which will burn wood, coal, briquettes, charcoal or other solid fuel yand is readily converted from heating to cooking purposes and vice versa.

A more detail object is to mount the stove upon supports which will hold t-he stove body above the ground or other support, yet readily adjustable to reduce the height of the stove and thereby facilitate its packaging for shipment etc.

Another detail object is to adapt a stove of the type described for ready heating of or cooking a small container of food such as a number one food can, irrespective of, and in addition to its use as a heater or for cooking over a tire.

In the accompanying drawings showing a selected embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a side elevation of the stove, set up for cooking.

Figure 2 is .a cross section and end elevation on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2 drawn to a larger scale.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

The stove body or tire box is of sheet metal and comprises a substantially cylindrical drum 1 with its axis disposed horizontally. Flat metal straps 3 are applied to the lower portion of the drum near each end. Each strap has end portions 3a welded or riveted to the tire box body and has an intermediate portion 3b offset away from the re box. Supports for the fire box consist of U-shape strips of at metal, each having cross piece 5 with upwardly and inwardly inclined legs 7 at the ends thereof, having terminals 9 diverging upwardly and outwardly to be inserted in the space between the re box and the outwardly olset portions or recesses 3b of straps 3 and to engage the lower portion of the fire box and straps 3 to iirmly support the stove.

The upper portion of the tire box forms a substantially rectangular chamber 11 with vertical side walls 13 and end walls 14. A sheet metal cover or lid 15 is hinged at 17 to one wall 13 and may be turned to closing position as indicated in full line in Figure 2 when the stove is to be used for heating, or may be swung into horizontal position, as indicated at 15a, when the stove is to be used for cooking. A readily detachable grid 19 is positioned on inturned lips Z1 immediately beneath the level of lid 15. Grid 19 may remain in the position shown at all times, or may be removed for cleaning or for adding fuel to the tire box. A handle 23 is in the form of a bail with inturned ends 2S extending into apertures in end walls 14. The bail handle may swing to an upright posi- 2,957,472 Patented Oct. .25,y 1960 lee tion to carry the stove from place to place even though there is a tire in the stove, without discomfort to the user. The handle may be turned to the full line position shown in Figure 2, and there rest upon 'a pair of ears 27 to end Walls 14 to form a support for the handle in the position shown in Figure 4, in which position the handle also supports the opened lid, as shown at 15a.

The upper left hand end of the stove forms a passageway for exhaust gases and a chimney 31 extends upwardly from the opening and is provided with a circular opening 33 in one side. A can-like cap 35 is applicable over chimney 3-1 and has an opening 37 in its side wall. Cap 35 may be rotated to align openings 37 and 33 or may be turned to disalign these openings and thereby close the chimney to any degree. The right hand end of the stove, shown in elevation in Figure 2, has a segment shaped opening 39. A segment shaped plate 41 is pivoted at 43 to the drum end wall -45 and is movable from the raised position shown in Figure 2 downwardly to close the opening. A flat spring 47 is secured at 49 to end wall 45 and yieldingly retains plate 41 in adjusted position whereby a readily adjustable inlet for air to the re box is provided. A ledge element 51 is attached to the drum and projects into the chimney opening and provides a support for a food container such yas an open can or a can of soup or beans, as indicated at C, cap 35 being removed to accommodate the insertion of can C into the chimney.

With the structure described, supports 5, 7 may be shipped in telescoped assembly with the tire box, as indicated at 5a, 7a, or may be separated from the stove and packed ilat, and may be readily moved to the assembled position indicated in solid lines in Figure 2, legs 7 being readily distort-ible to accommodate the insertion of their terminals 9 into the spaces between straps 3 and the stove body. Preferably legs 7 and cross piece 5 are corrugated as indicated at X (Figure 4) for stiiening, but this corrugation is omitted along the terminals 9.

The structure described readily attains the objectives set forth in the introductory portion of the specication. Its details may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of modifications coming Within the scope of the claim is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

A portable stove comprising a horizontally elongated hollow sheet metal firebox with downwardly converging sides, there being relatively short downwardly opening recesses provided on the opposite sides of the iirebox substantially beneath the horizontally widest portion of the rebox, and supports for the tirebox consisting of metal strips, one near each end of the rebox and each consisting of a generally upwardly opening U-shape with a crosspiece at its lower end forming a base member, for engaging the ground or other supporting surface, and with converging upstanding legs having diverging terminals detachably inserted in said recesses and abutting the exterior surface of the downwardly converging sides of the rebox, each of the U-shaped supports possessing suicient exibility transversely of the firebox to accommodate movement of their terminals away from and toward each other and relative to the base member to accommodate insertion and removal of the terminals into and from the recesses, the legs being distortible about the rebox and being of suiicient length to accommodate movement of their upper terminals apart to receive the widest portion of the rebox between them and thereby collapse the firebox and supports and reduce the height of the collapsed iirebox and supports with the tirebox nested between the support legs and in contact with the support bases between the legs.

(References on following page) References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Moore Nov. 11, 1873 Alger Oct. 24, 1893 5 West Nov. 2, 1897 Charroin June 21, 1898 Cadman July 25, 1899 4 Klinert Aug. 25, 1925 Doblin Mar. 21, 1950 Stevens Nov. 14, 1950 Manzler Oct. 30, 1951 Barker May 21, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Italy Feb. 12, 1948 

